Keres
=Keres= |} 'Purpose' Keres is a combat engineering variant of the wheel armored fighting vehicle. Its purpose is to transport and support combat engineers on the battlefield; the vehicle includes obstacle clearing and lane marking systems as well as mine detection devices. The engineer vehicle is based on the Deimos. Its most distinctive feature is a mine-clearance blade, it is most often towing a wheeled trailer loaded with additional equipment. The vehicle is capable of clearing mines on paved surfaces and some rubble clearance. Other mobility tasks can be completed by the mounted engineer squad with the tools on the vehicle and trailer. 'Design' 'Countermeasures' 'Camouflage' The Keres is equipped with active camouflage, able to visually detect what's surrounding itself and then project it exactly 180 degrees to the opposite. However, due to the lag a s a result of computational latency, it does not project very accurately while on the move. 'Concealment' The turret is fitted with two eight-barreled smoke grenade launchers. These can create a thick smoke that blocks both vision and thermal imaging. The engine is also equipped with a smoke generator that is triggered by the driver. When activated, fuel is sprayed into the hot turbine exhaust, creating the thick smoke. 'Active Protection System' In addition to the armor, Keres is equipped with a Softkill Active protection system, the AN/VLQ-6 Missile Countermeasure Device (MCD) that can impede the function of guidance systems of some semi-active control line-of-sight (SACLOS) wire and radio guided anti-tank missiles and thermally and infrared guided missiles. The MCD works by emitting a massive, condensed infrared signal to confuse the seeker of an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). However, the drawback to the system is that the ATGM is not destroyed, it is merely directed away from its intended target, leaving the missile to detonate elsewhere. 'Armor' The Abrams is protected by armor based on the British-designed Chobham armor, a further development of the British 'Burlington' armor. Chobham is a composite armor formed by spacing multiple layers of various alloys of steel, ceramics, plastic composites, and kevlar, giving an estimated maximum (frontal turret) 1,320–1,620 millimetres (52–64 in) of RHAe versus HEAT (and other chemical energy rounds) and 940–960 mm (37–38 in) versus kinetic energy penetrators. It may also be fitted with reactive armor over the track skirts if needed (as in the Urban Survival Kit) and slat armor over the rear of the tank and rear fuel cells to protect against ATGMs. Protection against spalling is provided by a Kevlar liner. Incorporating depleted uranium (DU) mesh in their armor at the front of the turret and the front of the hull. Armor reinforced in this manner offers significantly increased resistance towards all types of anti-tank weaponry, but at the expense of adding considerable weight to the tank, as depleted uranium is 1.7 times more dense than lead. The added protection from the depleted uranium armor is believed to be equivalent to 24 inches (610 mm) of RHA. 'Damage Control' If the Keres does suffer damage resulting in a fire in the crew compartment, the vehicle is equipped with a halon fire-suppression system that automatically engages and extinguishes fires in seconds. Fuel and ammunition are in armored compartments with blowout panels to protect the crew from the risk of the vehicle's own ammunition cooking off if the vehicle is damaged. 'Armament' 'Primary' The Keres is equipped with a 50 Caliber (12.7 mm), 04 Barreled Hybrid M134D-H Minigun. 'Secondary' The Keres has a remote weapon station with a universal soft mount cradle, which can mount either a .50 inch (12.7 mm) machine gun, 1.57480315 Inch (40mm) grenade launcher or .30 Inche (7.62 mm) machine gun. It is also armed with four smoke grenade launchers. 'Aiming' The Keres is equipped with a ballistic fire-control computer that uses user and system-supplied data from a variety of sources, to compute, display, and incorporate the three components of a ballistic solution—lead angle, ammunition type, and range to the target—to accurately fire the guns. These three components are determined using a YAG rod laser rangefinder, crosswind sensor, a pendulum static cant sensor, data concerning performance and flight characteristics of each specific type of round, vehicle-specific boresight alignment data, ammunition temperature, air temperature, barometric pressure, a muzzle reference system (MRS) that determines and compensates for barrel droop at the muzzle due to gravitational pull and barrel heating due to firing or sunlight, and target speed determined by tracking rate tachometers in the Gunner's or Commander's Controls Handles. All of these factors are computed into a ballistic solution and updated 30 times per second. The updated solution is displayed in the Gunner's or Commander's field of view in the form of a reticle in both day and Thermal modes. The ballistic computer manipulates the turret and a complex arrangement of mirrors so that all one has to do is keep the reticle on the target and fire to achieve a hit. Proper lead and gun tube elevation are applied to the turret by the computer, greatly simplifying the job of the gunner. The fire-control system uses these data to compute a firing solution for the gunner. The ballistic solution generated ensures a hit percentage greater than 95 percent at nominal ranges. Either the commander or gunner can fire the main gun. Additionally, the Commander's Independent Thermal Viewer (CITV) can be used to locate targets and pass them on for the gunner to engage while the commander scans for new targets. In the event of a malfunction or damage to the primary sight system, the main and coaxial weapons can be manually aimed using a telescopic scope boresighted to the main gun known as the Gunner's Auxiliary Sight (GAS). The GAS has two interchangeable reticles; one for HEAT and MPAT (MultiPurpose AntiTank) rounds and one for APFSDS and STAFF (Smart Target-Activated Fire and Forget) ammunition. Turret traverse and main gun elevation can be accomplished with manual handles and cranks in the event of a Fire Control System or Hydraulic System failure. The commander's .50 caliber machine gun is aimed by a 3× magnification sight incorporated into the Commander's Weapon Station (CWS), or a remote aiming system such as the CROWS system when used as part of the TUSK (Tank Urban Survival Kit).